John Ibbitson, the Washington columnist and correspondent for The Globe and Mail, discusses his new book, Open and Shut: Why America Has Barack Obama, and Canada Has Stephen Harper (McClelland & Stewart, 2009), with Joseph Planta, as well as Ed Greenspon’s departure as editor, and Barack Obama’s new Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor.

Open and Shut: Why America Has Barack Obama, and Canada Has Stephen Harper by John Ibbitson. (McClelland & Stewart, 2009) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Open & Shut

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line. This is THECOMMENTARY.CA.

The Globe and Mail’s John Ibbitson joins me now. We’ll discuss his timely, lively, and provocative short volume, Open and Shut: Why America Has Barack Obama, and Canada Has Stephen Harper. It’s a look at what’s going on in the United States and in this country, from his unique position as the paper’s Washington columnist and correspondent, a position he’s held since May of 2007. At one point in the fall, there were simultaneous elections here and in the United States, yet there were dramatically different results. There, a president was elected who set his country on a radically different course, while here, a minority Conservative government was returned. The book argues that there’s something right going on in their system, while there’s something seriously wrong here. The book is written in a way that there’s room for a national debate on the Globe’s website: http://www.globeandmail.com/open&shut, as the author raises some interesting and necessary questions, and suggests some provocative changes. John Ibbitson’s previous books include The Polite Revolution, Loyal No More, and Promised Land; he’s also the author of a young readers novel, The Landing. This book is published by McClelland and Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Washington this day, John Ibbitson; Good morning, Mr. Ibbitson.

Weblinks:

Open & Shut wiki: http://www.globeandmail.com/open&shut

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